The Phonogram (II), Issue 31

THIRTY - FIRST NUMBER

The PHONOGRAM

SUBSCRIPTION THIRTY CENTS A YEAR
SINGLE NUMBERS, FIVE CENTS

Published by HERBERT A. SH ATTUCK
at Number 83 Chambers Street New York City

Printed Monthly for those interested in the Arts of Record

and Reproducing Sound f also for those interested
1 Animated Pictures. Official Handbook of The
Order of the Phonogram. \A •very
Special Department wijl be devoted to
all Questions and Answers re-

lating to P hones y Graphs ,
Grams and Scopes. Cor-
respondence welcomed
by the Editor .

Notes ......

The Deacon’s Cow ....

The New Edison Phonograph
No Disk Machine Can Do This .

New Edison Moulded Records
Short Talks About New Records
The Phonograph in the Advertising Field
Moulding and Mailing the Human Voice

Copyright 1902, by

NOTES

If I print in this number a very interesting article entitled,
“Moulding and Mailing the Human Voice." It is due
to the courtesy of the editor of Public I mpro vzmknts that
this is possible. Mr. Auld calls his periodical “A Magazine
of Modem Resources" and it certainly lives up to its name.

*[ W. C. B. You ask for the words of a certain Recdrd;
stating in your letter that the words, as played by your
machine, were not clear at all times. I find on very care-
ful investigation that the Record in question has never been
made by the Edison people. It is a Disk Record. I went
to a store in the vicinity and asked to hear this particular
Record, taking my pencil with me; but my ears are con-
structed no differently from yours, and I had to give it up.
The singer who made this Record is well known in the
business, but I think for the past year he has affected a
kind of coon vibrate which seems to have affected him
with locomotor ataxia of the larynx. Again, it may be
that away back in his hidden and unspeakable past, he has

* *• * V ^ • p * , m ► F r • ». . • I % V * " • , 4 ■ ■ W,' f ^ • • • i «. A — * r 0 .» i, f O v 5 Wf r . P '

been a demonstrator for some patent throat gargle. Be

•’ f j I * * * . .. 1 t 9 to 4 — " t' /

this as it may, he succeeds successfully in conceding what
he thinks he is trying to say. My advice is not to buy

a p

any more Records by this particular artist, or any more
Disk Records either. After all, the Edison Phonograph
is the only talking machine that gives complete satisfaction.

^ I was over in Philadelphia the other day, and as I was
walking along opposite the post-office to call upon a friend
of mine in the business, I suddenly found the sidewalks
blocked by a very good-natured crowd. To my surprise I
found they were clustered around the store of my friend.

and after I had elbowed my way in from the street this is
what I saw:

In the window was the picture of the hay-seediest, com-
ica lest, old farmer that you ever saw. .His grin fairly made
you smile yourself, and each hair of his chin whiskers was
standby on end with appreciation. This picture was

framed with about half a ton of hay. There was nothing

else in the window except a talking machine or two, with
the exception of the following verse, which really and truly

“You wonder why I’m smiling or what ’tis
makes me laugh?

Well, I went and sold my brindle cow and

bought a Phonograph.

#

My family are all happy, my wife, she is content;

And she tells me every evening my money was
well spent.’*

C. J. L. You ask for information on Record No. 1 18
by the Edison Concert Band, the title of which is “Indian
War Dance.” I do not know what tribe of Indians pract-
ised this particular war dance or where it was taken. The
composer of the music in question is Herman Bellstedt, Jr.,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, a musician of repute in the middle
West and also in the East, where he at one time sat in the
first comet chair in Gilmore’s Band, under the direction of
Patrick Sarsfield himself. He it is who is responsible for
the creation referred to. Mr. Bellstedt, in the score before
me, does not say whether the music is a faithful represent-
ation of the war dance used by any particular tribe of In-
dians, or whether it is only the impressions of the composer
after witnessing the dances of the various tribes. I venture

the opinio*, however, that as the composer is known to be
a careful and conscientious student, the music is that in use
by some particular tribe of the nation’s wards. 1 also
venture the suggestion that Bellstedt got his ideas for this
Wild Indian War Dance after visiting the New York Stock
Exchange on a busy day.

Sound principles are behind the sound repro-
ductions of genuine Edison Phonographs . —
Chapin.

NO DISK MACHINE CAN DO THIS.

Phonograph Cheer to Far-off Friends.

Carrying with them more than a score of Phonographic
records, messages to friends irf the far East, the Rev. and
Mrs. John Gowdy left Wilkesbarre, Pa., the other day for
Foo Chow, China, where they will make their permanent
home.

Several years ago the Rev. Gowdy left Pittston for
China to engage in missionary work, and he was very suc-
cessful. He received an appointment as instructor in the
Anglo-Chinese College there, and three weeks ago here
ended his journey of 18,000 miles to mark the close of a
romance of his earlier life in West Pittston.

When it became known that the couple were to travel
through the interior, they were asked to take messages to
many friends, and to facilitate the undertaking and perhaps
to bring the recipient thereof a trifle nearer home, it was
decided to make Phonjgraphic records, and this was done.
They were packed in a case, and will be delivered as the
missionary happens across his friends.

— From the Philadelphia North American . .

SHORT TALKS ABOUT NEW RECORDS

8078. Facilita, Air and Variations, t^ornet soio,
played by Sig. A. Liberati. This standard composition is
by J. Hartman and it is one of that writer’s best efforts,
being found in the repertoire of every cornet virtuoso. For
our Record Mr. Liberati interprets the idea of the composer
to the fullest extent, at the same time embellishing this
selection with those “Liberatiisms" that have made him
famous. Not without interest and result is the fact that
Mr. Liberati, for our Records, is accompanied with the
piano by his daughter, whose musical training by her father,
and especially as an accompanist, permitted that artist the
full scope of his musical fancies.

8110. Nancy Brown. Sung by Wm. Redmond. This
much talked of song was sung by Miss Marie Cahill in
the “Wild Rose" all Summer. Miss Cahill is now dupli-
cating her success with it in the “Sally in Our Alley" per-
formance at the Broadway Theatre.. Few songs in recent
years have caught the popular fancy as has Nancy Brown.

81 1 1. Imperial Edward March. (Sousa’s latest).
Played by the Edison Concert Band. Composed in the
March King’s well known style at the command of H. I.
M. King Edward VII.

8118. The passing of summer has not diminished the
popularity of our Record, “In the Good Old Summer
Time," sung by Wm. Redmond. Every section of the
country is still singing, “Strolling thro* the shady lanes in
rVw> trood old Summer time.** to composer George Evans’

MOULDING AND MAILING THE

HUMAN VOICE.

EACHING foreign languages with the aid of
V I t the Phonograph is one of the most practical
JJL-l ideas that is being popularized to-day and has
- been made practical on a large scale within the
last few months — only since the invention of
a duplicating process for moulding the wax
\ Records of a foreign tongue. You see the
uK fellow wants the voice to be natural and life-
jflk like, with none of those blasts that accom-

panied the Phonograph before this moulded
<■ Record came out * *

II My friend's remark interested me in the

[ possibilities of language teaching with the aid
K of the Phonograph, and accordingly I remem-
\ bered one of the most prominent institutions
that do this teaching and planned to visit it.

My trip took me to Scranton, Pa., the home of the
International Correspondence Schools, and here I found
a double brick house near the main college building given
up to this new method of language instruction. Being
prepared for a medley of foreign tongues, I was not sur-
prised to find this house a veritable Tower of Babel. In
every room were Phonographs, and seated in front of them
were foreign instructors, who listened to recitations made
by the students. The view I obtained gave me my first
impression of the success of this plan. Here, actually,

Copyright 1902, by R. C. Auld

were the oral recitations by many students, and, with all
the patience and interest that could be applied, these
teachers were correcting the efforts of their pupils in every
part of the United States to speak the foreign tongues.

“Can these pupils make good enough records for you
to hear plainly ?" I asked. 1 was requested to sit down
before an instrument and listen to a recitation. The pro-
fessor proceeded. “All we have to do, is to demonstrate
a lesson, and th? person is converted to our method.
Now, we will give you the first lesson, such as we send to
our students. You enroll in our schools, and wherever
the mails reach we send you the*e printed lesson papers,
and deliver to you a Phonograph and a complete equipment
for language study. With the lesson papers go the
Phonograph Records of the professor’ s voice, giving the
foreign pronunciation. The student hears these words and
sentences at first through the hearing-tubes, while he reads
the foreign and English text in the book— that is, he learns
at once through the eye and the ear. Afterward the horn
may take the place of the hearing-tubes, and the pupil may
walk around the room while he fixes the foreign sounds in
his memory. Repetition is the keynote of any successful
teaching, and here we have an instrument built for it. It
repeats patiently, accurately, tirelessly, once or a thousand

nrllnkla urnrH a nhriSP or a sentence. Let the

9

students learn at their leisure and thoroughly at their ease.
You think this a funny school, eh ? But it is practical
when you select ambitious students from the whole world.
Of course, we urge application to the lessons, but we de-
pend upon the natural interest of the student to send in the
first lesson, and then we try to make our corrections and
advice so attractive that another exercise usually comes
along from him very soon.**

“Now I will let you hear two Records of the voice, one
made by the old process on soft wax and the other moulded
by the new process in hard wax. When I have finished
you will say that natural reproductions of the voice can be
made, and that the Phonograph has been vastly im-
proved.**

1*1 ^ j |By 4* Cl . * tt • . . I

Continuing to talk, the professor suggested that I look

I » * i ^ 1 w.f i » • • AjJTJ- IKl

into the microscope he had fixed upon the table. “Notice
that the tool vibrating in and out of the wax cylinder when
the Record was beine made has left the wax surface in

An old Record on soft wax, magnified twenty diameters,
showing the cause of ‘ blasts ” and “screeches.”

places and skipped instead of remaining imbedded in the
wax and linking the vibrations closelv.”

I have here reproduced an illustration of this * * blasty
soft wax Record as it appeared to me under the microscope.
Where the cuts, or “scoops,** are unconnected, there is
caused the unpleasant sound or over-vibration of the repro-
ducing tool, which was characteristic of the old Phonograph.

•* And Here you have the I. C. S. Hard Wax Moulded
Record!*’ The speaker said this with a genuine note
of pride in his voice. It was plain that the new process
Record was a satisfaction to the instruction department of
this school at least.

Of course, I was anxious to hear the result of so much
thought and skill, and my companion did not delay. “I,
C. S. German Record Number Two” announced itself on

NOVEMBER 1902

New hard wax high speed Moulded language Record

magnified 20 times

the Phonograph; then ii aber >% ki auch ,** fi der Bruder ■,**
came across the room as naturally as if the pleased German
instructor, who stood near by, was personally exhibiting
his best pronunciation.

To appreciate the perfection in which these sounds are
recorded and reproduced, one must look at the delicate
vibrations in the wax under the microscope. The illustration
given will show the appearance of the surface of one of
these new moulded language Records. Each vibration is
perfectly recorded and linked, indicating that the reproduc-
tion will be pleasant and natural. It is wonderful to think
that these indentations, which wind around the wax cylinder
100 threads to the inch, would amount to a string two
hundred feet long if unwound. The average word requires
seven inches of this string. All the delicate inflections of

the teacher’s pronunciation are shown in the variety of cuts,
which will be noticed.

Placing another cylinder on the Phonograph, the Pro-
fessor remarked : “ This Record is from Mrs. C. M. Cole,
2060 Fell Street, San Francisco; it is her thirteenth lesson in
French.” A head-piece, with rubber hearing-tubes attached
was placed on my head, and a book was handed me, from
which I read a French exercise. Then, with a very good
Parisian accent, the feminine voice came to my ears repeat-
ing, very naturally, the words I was reading — “ Dormez-
•vous bien ? Quc faites-vous le matin f ”

Stopping the instrument, the professor said : “ Listen

to that word — now repeat it with the machine.”
l ‘Dormez ” came each word, steadily repeating, as a little lever
was manipulated on the side — it seemed so easy that with-
out embarrassment I imitated it again and again. There
are three hundred words on a cylinder, and at any time the

>3

“ repeating attachment” can be worked by a tingle lever
to hear a word or a phrase over and over again.

“How are the I. C. S. Lesson Records made?” I
asked.

“ Formerly
replied the Prc
ing process.

were ‘copied* or ‘duplicated,*
ifessor, “ but now they are made by a mould -
This will explain the old way ; ’.* and the
a sketch, which for this article, is reproduced

more accurately

Master

" is a weight which balances a train of levers with tools
a and b at the free ends. A is a stylus with a rounded
point for following the Master Record to be duplicated, and
^ is a sharp cutting tool for recording the same indentations
on the blank wax cylinder bdow. When both cylinders

arc revolved at the same speed on this double Phonograph,
it is easy to see that the tools arranged as in the sketch

will make a copy. ) ^ *

“ But how do they mould Records ? ” I asked, deeply
interested, “ for that is what I most desire to know.”

“ First, it is nncessary to make a Master Record. If
this Master Record is not perfect, of course the mould is
not; so, chemically pure wax and a special machine are
used to secure every cut and indenture with perfect ac-
curacy, as you see it under the microscope. Here is where
the great benefit of the process comes in to the purchaser
of the product — he knows that he has a perfect copy of the
very best Record, that time patience and expert knowledge
of recording the human voice can produce. The new
process of making the mould is called the ‘ vacum deposit-
ing process,* and, of course is a great secret, so that a de-
tailed description is not possible; but sufficient may be told
of the features of the process to explain the remarkable
results obtained.

“The new process is briefly this: When the Master

Record has been made it is placed in a vacuum. It is held
up in the vacuum by a sort of core. Into this vacuum jar
two wires are introduced, each connected with the poles of
a powerful dynamo. The wires are of gold, and gold
strips are suspended in contact with each wire. The Rec-
ord is so placed that it can be rapidly rotated by magnets
placed outside of the vacuum jar. When the electricity is
turned on and the wires charged, gold vapor is given off,
both from wires and strips. This vapor strikes against the
rapidly turning Record, and very soon on *the face of the
cylinder may be seen a deposit of gold in a very thin sheet.

voice can

The cylinder looks as if it had been out in a golden mist
and become coated with golden moisture. The fine vapor
of gold is thus driven into all the little indentations and
markings — even the minutest — on the Phonograph master
cylinder. The gold is so fine that it actually coats the
cylinder as if it were dippeJ in water.

M When there is a sufficient deposit of gold on the
cylinder it is taken out and placed in a copper bath. A
deposit of copper one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness is
electroplated on the surface of the gold. When this build-
ing up process is complete the inside wax master is re-
moved, leaving the finished mould ready for the moulding
process. The object in putting on the copper is to keep
the gold from breaking down when other Records are taken

m *

from it. ,

“ Having the metal mould, all that is now necessary in
order to obtain a Record is to bring the molten wax in
contact with its inside surface. The hot wax enters all
the markings in the gold cylinder. When the wax cools
and contracts away from the mould it can be dropped out,
and is found to contain a perfect fac-simile of the Master
Record on its surface.**

It is interesting to consider the possibilities of instructing
an immense number of students from these improved
instruments and Records. One mould will yield 120 per-
fect Records per day, and at this rate, with the continued
demand, every school and home in the country that makes
any pretense to advancement, culture of refinement will
soon be equipped with a Phonograph language outfit for the
study of one or more of the foreign languages.

Visitors seem to be alwavs welcome at these schools ;

The new Sapphire Reproducer ball is just the right
shape. It fits the track of the Record, following faithfully
every little curve or undulation and reproducing perfectly.
No jumping the groove, no repetition, no echo, no harsh-
ness, no scratching noise, no metallic effect, nothing but a
sweet natural toned reproduction of song, music, jest or
story; bringing you face to face with the performer or
artist.

The new recorder embodies all the latest improvements
used at the Edison Laboratory, through the use of which,
Edison Moulded Records owe their high perfection. With
the new Recorder, perfect Records may be made at home.

The new high speed moulded Records are all that is
needed to make this combination perfect. These are much
harder than the old aftd can be handled without danger of spoil-
ing the surface with finger marks. The moulded Records
are made from and are exact copies of a permanent Master;
equalling the Master in depth of cut, loudness, sweetness,
clearness and natural tone. No more Haws, no more im-
perfect Records.

The purchaser who keeps abreast of the times wants the
best in each line. Wide-awake lovers of melody, mirth
and music know that the finest talking machine is the
New Edison Phonograph. It will enliven your home, en-
tertain your friends, interest your family and last a life
time.

W hen a man who is Famous the world over
backs the Phonograph with his Name , it
stands to reason it's a pretty good talking
machine . — Openeer.

THE PHONOGRAPH IN THE
ADVERTISING FIELD.

Another practical use for the Phonograph is in the ad-
vertising field. Where talking machines are now installed
in so many households it will not be long before big con-
cerns begin to give away records advertising their business.
A comic song singing the praises of Dr. Blank's corn
plasters, or a monologue in * ‘ Rube’ ’ dialect, telling of
Uncle Ebenezer’s wonderful recovery from rheumatism by

the use of some mineral water, might prove very popular.
In these days when new methods of advertising are met
every day it is a v* onder that the possibilities of the Phono-
graph have remained a virgin field. — Boston Post.

8208 Russian Fantasia Cornet Bohumir Kryl

8209 Down Deep in the Cellar Cornet Bohumir Kryl
Novr — Mr. Kryl is the cornet soloist with

Duss and his Band, and is now en tour with
Bandmaster Innes.

8210 Susie Woosie from fPeber & Fields *

Twirly IVhirly Coon love song Fa

8211 In the City of Sighs and Tears

Sentimental song with orchestra accompaniment Har

8212 The Tale of the Sea Shell

Song from The Prince of Pilsen T

821 3 In the Good Old Summer Time

with bell chorus Band £

8214 The Rosary Sentimental song T

8215 Under the Bamboo Tree Zulu love song .

from Sally in Our Alley Co

8216 I*m a Lady Comic song

from Rogers Bros, in Harvard Fa

8217 Lucky Jim Male quartette Lotus Quartette

8218 Down the Line with Molly

Comic male duet Co Sc Na

8219 Jerry Murphy Was a Friend of Mine

Comic male duet Co Sc Na

8220 The Shirt-Waist Band Comic male duet Co Sc Na

8221 Columbia the Gem of the Ocean

American national air Band E

8222 Rule Britannia British national air Band £

8223 Whisper and I Shall Hear

Song with violin obligato Miss Nellie Thomas

8224 For All Eternity &«£ Soprano Miss Nellie Thomas

8225 The Last Wish ( Abt) Religious song by basso Sta

8226 Selection from The Prince of Pilsen Orchestra P

8 a 27 Selection from The Rogers Bros, in Harvard

Orchestra P

8228 Selection from the Emerald Isle Orchestra b

8229 March Medley from Sally in Our Alley Orchestra P
8220 March Mcdley^rsai Weber & Field's

Ttvirly Whirly Orchestra P

8211 Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield (Alabama)

from the Rogers Bros . in Harvard Co & Har
8240 Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star Sentimental song

xoitb orchestra accompaniment from

Weber and Fields' Tvtirly Whirly T

8241 Ragtime Episode Banjo Van Epps

8242 The Absent Minded Man Comic song

from the Rogers Bros, in Harvard Fa

8243 Einstein at the Race Track Talking Stl

8244 Ravings of Jno. McCullough Talking Harry Spencer

8245 The Toreador’s Song with orchestra
accompaniment from Francis Wilson' s . Toreador T

12729 Sonnenlicht, Sonnenschein